Thermal polymerization of N-tert-butylacrylamide in 1,4-dioxane

The kinetics of the thermal polymerization of N-tert-butylacrylamide were investigated in 1,4-dioxane as solvent, in the 65–80°C temperature range. It was found that the overall rate of polymerization which was determined by a gravimetric method is proportional to the 1.9 power of monomer concentration at 70°C. The rate of initiation was determined by ESR spectroscopy using DPPH as an inhibitor, and it was found that the order of initiation rate is 1.8 with respect to monomer concentration at 70°C. The overall activation energy for the thermal polymerization of N-tert-butylacrylamide was found to be 64 ± 9 kJ mol^?1 in the 65–80°C temperature range. The activation energy for the rate of initiation was also determined and it was found to be 90 ± 23 kJ mol^-1.     

A Remarkable Solvent Effect on the Nuclearity of Neutral Titanium(IV)‐Based Helicate Assemblies

The spontaneous self‐assembly of a neutral circular trinuclear Ti^IV‐based helicate is described through the reaction of titanium(IV) isopropoxide with a rationally designed tetraphenolic ligand. The trimeric ring helicate was obtained after diffusion of n‐pentane into a solution with dichloromethane. The circular helicate has been characterized by using single‐crystal X‐ray diffraction study, ¹³C CP‐MAS NMR and ¹H NMR DOSY solution spectroscopic, and positive electrospray ionization mass‐spectrometric analysis. These analytical data were compared with those obtained from a previously reported double‐stranded helicate that crystallizes in toluene. The trimeric ring was unstable in a pure solution with dichloromethane and transformed into the double‐stranded helicate. Thermodynamic analysis by means of the PACHA software revealed that formation of the double‐stranded helicates was characterized by ΔH(toluene)=?30 kJ mol^?1 and ΔS(toluene)=+357 J K^?1 mol^?1, whereas these values were ΔH(CH₂Cl₂)=?75 kJ mol^?1 and ΔS(CH₂Cl₂)=?37 J K^?1 mol^?1 for the ring helicate. The transformation of the ring helicate into the double‐stranded helicate was a strongly endothermic process characterized by ΔH(CH₂Cl₂)=+127 kJ mol^?1 and ΔH(n‐pentane)=+644 kJ mol^?1 associated with a large positive entropy change ΔS=+1115 J K^?1?mol^?1. Consequently, the instability of the ring helicate in pure dichloromethane was attributed to the rather high dielectric constant and dipole moment of dichloromethane relative to n‐pentane. Suggestions for increasing the stability of the ring helicate are given.     

Rotational barriers in bisadducts of 1-cyano-1-methylethyl radicals with nitrones and nitroso compounds

The temperature-dependent ¹H NMR spectra have been measured for the bisadducts 2a and 3 of 1-cyano-1-methylethyl radicals with α-phenyl-N-benzylnitrone [N-(benzylidene)benzylamine N-oxide] and nitrosobenzene, respectively. A free energy of activation of ΔG^≠ = 62.8 ～ 64.4 kJ mol^?1 (15.0 ～ 15.4 kcal/mol) at 24 ～ 45 °C has been obtained for 2a by applying the Eyring equation to the rate constants at the coalescence points of the methyl signals. The line shapes due to four methyl signals exchanging between two sites of equal population have been simulated by the theoretical calculation to give an activation enthalpy of 52.3 kJ mol^?1 (12.5 kcal/mol) and the corresponding entropy of ?39.3 J K^?1 mol^?1 for 3. As the inversion barriers at pyramidal nitrogens of hydroxylamine derivatives should be lowered in N-phenyl derivatives because of conjugation, the rate process which is responsible for the observed temperature dependent NMR spectra can be assigned to restricted rotation around one of the skeletal C? N? O? C bonds. The relevance of the results to the conformations of nitroxides derived from the spin trapping method using α-phenyl-N-t-butylnitrone [N-(benzylidene)-t-butylamine N-oxide] and nitroso spin traps is discussed.     

How difficult are anion-molecule SNAr reactions of unactivated arenes in the gas phase,dimethyl sulfoxide,and methanol solvents?

Nucleophilic substitution on the aromatic ring (S_NAr) is a very important reaction for organic transformations. This kind of reaction is usually difficult to take place, requiring organometallic catalysis or activation of the ring by electron withdrawing groups to turn the nucleophilic attack possible. In this work, the relative importance of intrinsic gas phase barrier and the solvent effect on several S_NAr reactions using theoretical calculations were investigated. The reactions of the anions OH^?, CN^?, and CH₃O^? and the enolates CH₃COCH₂^? and CH₃COCHCOCH₃^? with bromobenzene and (o, m, p)-methoxy bromobenzene in methanol and dimethyl sulfoxide as solvents were considered. The OH^? and CH₃O^? ions are highly reactive in the gas phase. However, the solvent effect induces a high activation barrier in solution, turning the reaction difficult, although feasible. The CN^? and CH₃COCHCOCH₃^? ions have high activation barriers even in the gas phase. The interesting CH₃COCH₂^? ion has a moderate barrier in the gas phase, although the free energy barrier in DMSO solution reaches 33 kcal mol^?1. Our analysis suggests that decreasing the solvent effect, arylation of enolates with unactivated arenes could become possible.

     

Volumes of Activation for Dimethylsulfoxide and N,N-Dimethylformamide Exchange with Hexasolvates of Aluminium (III) and Gallium (III) Ions in Deuterionitromethane Solution

High-pressure ¹H-NMR. has been used to determine volumes of activation (ΔV#) for solvent exchange with [M(S)₆]³⁺ ion (M = Al(III), Ga(III); S = dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF)) in [²H]₃-nitromethane solution. For Al(III),Δ V# = + 15.6 ± 1.4 (S = DMSO, 358.5 K) and ΔV# = + 13.7 ± 1.2 cm³mol^?1 (S = DMF, 354.5 K), whilst for Ga(III), ΔV# = + 13.1 ± 1.0 (S = DMSO, 334.6 K) and ΔV# = +7.9 ± 1.6 cm³mol^?1 (S= DMF, 313.8 K). Variable temperature studies over a temperature range of 107.2 K (Al(III)) and 101.1 K (Ga(III)) were carried out for solvent exchange with [M(DMF)₆]³⁺ ions in [²H]₃-nitromethane solution, using stopped-flow NMR, and conventional linebroadening, and gave ΔH# = 88.3 ± 0.9 and 85.1 ± 0.6 kJ+ mol^?1, and ΔS# = 28.4 ± 2.7 and 45.1 ± 1.9 JK^?1 mol^?1 for Al(III) and Ga(III) ions respectively. All of these results are consistent with dissociative modes of activation.     

A Highly Oxidizing and Isolable Oxoruthenium(V) Complex [RuV(N4O)(O)]2+: Electronic Structure,Redox Properties,and Oxidation Reactions Investigated by DFT Calculations

The electronic structure and redox properties of the highly oxidizing, isolable Ru^V?O complex [Ru^V(N₄O)(O)]²⁺, its oxidation reactions with saturated alkanes (cyclohexane and methane) and inorganic substrates (hydrochloric acid and water), and its intermolecular coupling reaction have been examined by DFT calculations. The oxidation reactions with cyclohexane and methane proceed through hydrogen atom transfer in a transition state with a calculated free energy barrier of 10.8 and 23.8 kcal mol^?1, respectively. The overall free energy activation barrier (ΔG^≠=25.5 kcal mol^?1) of oxidation of hydrochloric acid can be decomposed into two parts: the formation of [Ru^III(N₄O)(HOCl)]²⁺ (ΔG=15.0 kcal mol^?1) and the substitution of HOCl by a water molecule (ΔG^≠=10.5 kcal mol^?1). For water oxidation, nucleophilic attack on Ru^V?O by water, leading to O? O bond formation, has a free energy barrier of 24.0 kcal mol^?1, the major component of which comes from the cleavage of the H? OH bond of water. Intermolecular self‐coupling of two molecules of [Ru^V(N₄O)(O)]²⁺ leads to the [(N₄O)Ru^IV? O₂? Ru^III(N₄O)]⁴⁺ complex with a calculated free energy barrier of 12.0 kcal mol^?1.     

Conversion of carbon dioxide to cyclic carbonates using diimine Ru(II) complexes as catalysts

Cationic diimine Ru(II) complexes were synthesized and tested as catalysts for the formation of cyclic organic carbonates from CO₂ and liquid epoxides (propylene oxide, epichlorohydrine, 1,2‐epoxybutane and styrene oxide) which served as both reactant and solvent. The reaction rates not only depended on the type of ligand, but also on reaction conditions such as temperature, pressure, base, the epoxide substrates and the use of an additional solvent. Reaction rates in terms of turnover frequencies up to 4050 mol_product mol_cat.^?1 h^?1 at 99% selectivity were achieved by optimizing the diimine ligand as well as the reaction temperature and CO₂ pressure. Consistent with CV measurements, the electron donating group on the p‐position of the aryl ring accelerated the reaction rate. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Data on the thermochemistry of azoalkanes

The rate constant of the primary decomposition step was determined for four symmetrical and four unsymmetrical azoalkanes. From the experimental activation energies and some literature enthalpy data, the following enthalpies of formation of radicals and group contributions were calculated: ΔH_? (CH₃N₂) = 51.5 ± 1.8 kcal mol^?1, ΔH_? (C₂H₅N₂) = 44.8 ± 2.5 kcal mol^?1, ΔH_? (2?C₃H₇N₂) = 37.9 ± 2.2 kcal mol^?1, [N_A-(C)] = 27.6 ± 3.7 kcal mol^?1, [N_A-(?_A) (C)] = 61.2 ± 3.1 kcal mol^?1.     

MP2, DFT‐D,and PCM study of the HMB–TCNE complex: Thermodynamics,electric properties,and solvent effects

Geometry, thermodynamic, and electric properties of the π‐EDA complex between hexamethylbenzene (HMB) and tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) are investigated at the MP2/6‐31G* and, partly, DFT‐D/6‐31G* levels. Solvent effects on the properties are evaluated using the PCM model. Fully optimized HMB–TCNE geometry in gas phase is a stacking complex with an interplanar distance 2.87 × 10^?10 m and the corresponding BSSE corrected interaction energy is ?51.3 kJ mol^?1. As expected, the interplanar distance is much shorter in comparison with HF and DFT results. However the crystal structures of both (HMB)₂–TCNE and HMB–TCNE complexes have interplanar distances somewhat larger (3.18 and 3.28 × 10^?10 m, respectively) than our MP2 gas phase value. Our estimate of the distance in CCl₄ on the basis of PCM solvent effect study is also larger (3.06–3.16 × 10^?10 m). The calculated enthalpy, entropy, Gibbs energy, and equilibrium constant of HMB–TCNE complex formation in gas phase are: ΔH⁰ = ?61.59 kJ mol^?1, ΔS = ?143 J mol^?1 K^?1, ΔG⁰ = ?18.97 kJ mol^?1, and K = 2,100 dm³ mol^?1. Experimental data, however, measured in CCl₄ are significantly lower: ΔH⁰ = ?34 kJ mol^?1, ΔS = ?70.4 J mol^?1 K^?1, ΔG⁰ = ?13.01 kJ mol^?1, and K = 190 dm³ mol^?1. The differences are caused by solvation effects which stabilize more the isolated components than the complex. The total solvent destabilization of Gibbs energy of the complex relatively to that of components is equal to 5.9 kJ mol^?1 which is very close to our PCM value 6.5 kJ mol^?1. MP2/6‐31G* dipole moment and polarizabilities are in reasonable agreement with experiment (3.56 D versus 2.8 D for dipole moment). The difference here is due to solvent effect which enlarges interplanar distance and thus decreases dipole moment value. The MP2/6‐31G* study supplemented by DFT‐D parameterization for enthalpy calculation, and by the PCM approach to include solvent effect seems to be proper tools to elucidate the properties of π‐EDA complexes. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2008     

Proton magnetic resonance study of rotational isomerism in vinylcycloalkanes

The vicinal coupling constant, J(12), between the vinyl CH and the ring CH protons in vinylcyclohexane was calculated from a ‘partial molecule’ six-spin system. The 100 and 270 MHz results are in good agreement; those at 60 MHz were, however, still inaccurate in this approximation. J(12) increases with increasing solvent polarity and decreasing temperature. The energy difference between the s-trans and gauche conformers in both C₂Cl₄ and perdeuterioacetone solvents is 879 ± 167 J mol^?1 (210±40 cal mole^?1). The s-trans conformer is the most stable, in contrast to the isoelectronic cyclohexylcarboxyaldehyde where the gauche rotamers are lower in energy.     

Mechanistic insights into photochromic behavior of a ruthenium(II)-pterin complex

The pterin‐coordinated ruthenium complex, [Ru^II(dmdmp)(tpa)]⁺ ( 1 ) (Hdmdmp=N,N‐dimethyl‐6,7‐dimethylpterin, tpa=tris(2‐pyridylmethyl)amine), undergoes photochromic isomerization efficiently. The isomeric complex ( 2 ) was fully characterized to reveal an apparent 180° pseudorotation of the pterin ligand. Photoirradiation to the solution of 1 in acetone with incident light at 460 nm resulted in dissociation of one pyridylmethyl arm of the tpa ligand from the Ru^II center to give an intermediate complex, [Ru(dmdmp)(tpa)(acetone)]²⁺ ( I ), accompanied by structural change and the coordination of a solvent molecule to occupy the vacant site. The quantum yield (?) of this photoreaction was determined to be 0.87 %. The subsequent thermal process from intermediate I affords an isomeric complex 2 , as a result of the rotation of the dmdmp^2? ligand and the recoordination of the pyridyl group through structural change. The thermal process obeyed first‐order kinetics, and the rate constant at 298 K was determined to be 5.83×10^?5 s^?1. The activation parameters were determined to be ΔH^≠=81.8 kJ mol^?1 and ΔS^≠=?49.8 J mol^?1 K^?1. The negative ΔS^≠ value indicates that this reaction involves a seven‐coordinate complex in the transition state (i.e., an interchange associative mechanism). The most unique point of this reaction is that the recoordination of the photodissociated pyridylmethyl group occurs only from the direction to give isomer 2 , without going back to starting complex 1 , and thus the reaction proceeds with 100 % conversion efficiency. Upon heating a solution of 2 in acetonitrile, isomer 2 turned back into starting complex 1 . The backward reaction is highly dependent on the solvent: isomer 2 is quite stable and hard to return to 1 in acetone; however, 2 was converted to 1 smoothly by heating in acetonitrile. The activation parameters for the first‐order process in acetonitrile were determined to be ΔH^≠=59.2 kJ mol^?1 and ΔS^≠=?147.4 kJ mol^?1 K^?1. The largely negative ΔS^≠ value suggests the involvement of a seven‐coordinate species with the strongly coordinated acetonitrile molecule in the transition state. Thus, the strength of the coordination of the solvent molecule to the Ru^II center is a determinant factor in the photoisomerization of the Ru^II–pterin complex.     

Solvent effects on the rate of reaction of Cl2˙− and SO4˙− radicals with unsaturated alcohols

Rate constants have been measured in several aqueous/organic solvent mixtures for the addition reaction of Cl₂^˙? radicals with 2-propen-1-o1 and 2-buten-1-o1 as a function of temperature and with 2, 3-dimethyl-2-butene at room temperature. The rate constants were in the range of 10⁶–10⁹ L mol^?1 s^?1, the activation energies were relatively low (1–10 kJ mol^?1), and the pre-exponential factors varied over the range log A = 7.9 to 9.4. The rate constants (k) decreased (by up to a factor of 30) upon increasing the fraction of organic solvent and log k correlated linearly with the dielectric constant for a given water/organic solvent system, but the lines for the different solvent systems had different slopes. A better correlation of log k was found with a combination of the solvatochromic factor, E_T(30), and the hydrogen-bond donor acidity factor, α. This suggests that the rate of reaction is influenced by the solvent polarity and also by specific solvation of the ionic reactant and product. Solvent effect on the reaction of SO₄^˙? with 2-propen-1-o1 was studied for comparison. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Rate constants for reaction of 1,2‐dimethylimidazole with benzyl bromide in ionic liquids and organic solvents

The rate constant for the Menschutkin reaction of 1,2‐dimethylimidazole with benzyl bromide to produce 3‐benzyl‐1,2‐dimethylimidazolium bromide was determined in a number of ionic liquids and molecular organic solvents. The rate constants in 12 ionic liquids are in the range of (1.0–3.2) × 10^?3 L mol^?1 s^?1 and vary with the solvent anion in the order (CF₃SO₂)₂ N^? < PF₆^? < BF₄^?. Variations with the solvent cation (butylmethylimidazolium, octylmethylimidazolium, butyldimethylimidazolium, octyldimethylimidazolium, butylmethylpyrrolidinium, and hexyltributylammonium) are minimal. The rate constants in the ionic liquids are comparable to those in polar aprotic molecular solvents (acetonitrile, propylene carbonate) but much higher than those in weakly polar organic solvents and in alcohols. Correlation of the rate constants with the solvatochromic parameter E _T(30) is reasonable within each group of similar solvents but very poor when all the solvents are correlated together. Better correlation is obtained for the organic solvents by using a combination of two parameters, π* (dipolarity/polarizibility) and α (hydrogen bond acidity), while additional parameters such as δ (cohesive energy density) do not provide any further improvement. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. *

1 This article is a US Government work and, as such, is in the public domain of the United States of America.

Int J Chem Kinet 36: 253–258, 2004     

The Kinetics of Ferrocene Volatilisation from an Ionic Liquid

The volatilisation of ferrocene (Fc), dissolved in the ionic liquid N‐butyl‐N‐methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, [C₄mpyrr][NTf₂], to the gas phase has been indirectly monitored by cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry. Simulation of the observed trends in concentration with time using a simple model allowed quantification of the process. Volatilisation of dissolved Fc under flowing wet and dry dinitrogen gas (N₂) was found to be kinetically limited with a rate constant in the region of 2×10^?7 cm s^?1. The activation energy of diffusion for Fc was found to be 28.2±0.7 kJ mol^?1, while the activation energy of volatilisation of Fc from [C₄mpyrr][NTf₂] to dry N₂ was found to be 85±2 kJ mol^?1.     

A theoretical study of C4H5N isomers: Comparison of cyano and isocyano as substituents

Ab initio molecular orbital calculations using a 3-21G basis set have been used to optimize geometries for pyrrole, CH₃(X)CCH₂, CH₃(H)CCHX (both cis and trans), c-C₃H₅X, and CH₂CHCH₂X, where X is CN and NC. In all the alkenyl derivatives methyl groups are found to adopt the conformation in which the methyl hydrogen eclipses the double bond. 6-31G*∥3-21G level calculations show the alkenyl cyanides to be of similar energy to pyrrole, but the isocyanides are ～20 kcal mol^?1 higher in energy. For both substituents the cyclopropyl derivatives are higher in energy by ～10 kcal mol^?1. At the 6-31G* level ring strain is 27.7 kcal mol^?1 for the cyanide and 30.6 kcal mol^?1 for the isocyanide. Data on the relative energies of RCN and RNC are compared when R is (i) a saturated hydrocarbon, (ii) an unsaturated hydrocarbon, (iii) an α-carbenium ion, (iv) an allyl cation, and (v) an α-carbanion.     

Theoretical Study on Gas—phase Pyrolytic Reactions of N—Ethyl,Isopropyl and N—t—Butyl Substituted 2—Aminopyrazine

Density functional theory (DFT) and ab initio methods were used to study gas‐phase pyrolytic reaction mechanisms of iV‐ethyl, N‐isopropyl and N‐t‐butyl substituted 2‐aminopyrazine at B3LYP/6–31G* and MP2/6–31G*, respectively. Single‐point energies of all optimized molecular geometries were calculated at B3LYP/6–311 + G(2d,p) level. Results show that the pyrolytic reactions were carried out through a unimolecular first‐order mechanism which were caused by the migration of atom H(17) via a six‐member ring transition state. The activation energies which were verified by vibrational analysis and correlated with zero‐point energies along the reaction channel at B3LYP/6–311 + G(2d,p) level were 252.02 kJ. mo^?1 (N‐ethyl substituted), 235.92 kJ‐mol^?1 (N‐t‐isopropyl substituted) and 234.27 kJ‐mol^?1 (N‐t‐butyl substituted), respectively. The results were in good agreement with available experimental data.     

The triplet state of 4-nitro-N,N-dimethynaphthylamine

Nanosecond laser photolytic studies of 4-nitro-N,N-dimethylnaphthylamine (4-NDMNA) in nonpolar and polar solvents at room temperature show a transient species with an absorption maximum in the 500-510-nm range. This species is assigned to the lowest triplet excited state of 4-NDMNA. The absorption maximum of this state is independent of solvent polarity, and its lifetime is a function of the hydrogen donor efficiency of the solvent. In n-hexane the lifetime 1/k of the triplet state is 9.1 × 10^?6 sec, while in acetonitrile 1/k is 2.0 × 10^?7 sec. The hydrogen abstraction rate constant k_H of the triplet state with tributyl tin hydride (Bu₃SnH) in n-hexane is 1.7 × 10⁷M^?1·sec^?1, while in the case of isopropyl alcohol as hydrogen donor, k_H is 4.0 × 10⁷M^?1·sec^?1. The activation energy for the hydrogen abstraction by the triplet state from Bu₃SnH in deaerated n-hexane is 0.6 kcal/mol. The lack of spectral shift with increasing solvent polarity, and the appreciable hydrogen abstraction reactivity of the triplet state, also independent of solvent polarity, seem to indicate that this excited state is an n-π* state which retains its n-π* character even in polar media.     

Kinetics and mechanism study of aniline addition to ethyl propiolate

The kinetics of the addition reaction of aniline to ethyl propiolate in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent was studied. Initial rate method was used to determine the order of the reaction with respect to the reactants, and pseudo‐first‐order method was used to calculate the rate constant. This reaction was monitored by UV–Vis spectrophotometer at 399 nm by the variable time method. On the basis of the experimental results, the Arrhenius equation for this reaction was obtained as log k = 6.07 ‐ (12.96/2.303 RT). The activation parameters, E_a, ΔH^#, ΔG^#, and ΔS^# at 300 K were 12.96, 13.55, 23.31 kcal mol^?1 and ?32.76 cal mol^?1 K^?1, respectively. The results revealed a first‐order reaction with respect to both aniline and ethyl propiolate. In addition, based on the experimental results and using also density functional theory (DFT) at B3LYP/6‐31G* level, a mechanism for this reaction was proposed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Chem Kinet 38: 144–151, 2006     

Kinetic Study on the Exothermic First-stage Decomposition Reaction of 2,4,8,10-Tetranitro-2,4,8,10-tetraaza- spiro[5,5]undecane-3,9-dione

Introduction 2,4,8,10-Tetranitro-2,4,8,10-tetraazaspiro[5,5]udecane- 3,9-dione is a typical cyclourea nitramine (Figure 1). Its crystal density is 1.91 gcm-3. The detonation velocity according to =1.90 gcm-3 is about 8670 ms-1. Its sensitivity to impact is better than that of cyclotrimethy- lenetrinitramine. So it is the potential high explosive. Its preparation,1-3 properties,1-3 hydrolytic behavior4 and electronic structure3 have been reported. In the present work, we report its kinetic pa…     

A kinetic study of the oxidation of L-ascorbic acid by chromium(VI)

The reaction between chromium(VI) and L-ascorbic acid has been studied by spectrophotometry in the presence of aqueous citrate buffers in the pH range 5.69–7.21. The reaction is slowed down by an increase of the ionic strength. At constant ionic strength, manganese(II) ion does not exert any appreciable inhibition effect on the reaction rate. The rate law found is where K_p is the equilibrium constant for protonation of chromate ion and k_r is the rate constant for the redox reaction between the active forms of the oxidant (hydrogenchromate ion) and the reductant (L-hydrogenascorbate ion). The activation parameters associated with rate constant k_r are E_a = 20.4 ± 0.9 kJ mol^?1, ΔH^≠ = 17.9 ± 0.9 kJ mol^?1, and ΔS^≠=?152 ± 3 J K^?1 mol^?1. The reaction thermodynamic magnitudes associated with equilibrium constant K_p are ΔH⁰ = 16.5 ± 1.1 kJ mol^?1 and ΔS⁰ = 167 ± 4 J K^?1 mol^?1. A mechanism in accordance with the experimental data is proposed for the reaction. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.